To do that is to inevitably repeat history later, causing even more suffering. But to move on like that is to forget about some of the most important lessons and terrible acts that came out of the war. People want to forget the ugliness of the war (as well as their suffering through it) and move forward with their lives, which is understandable. The characters, mainly the Nazi hunters, come up against this a lot, especially when interviewing witnesses and tracking down suspects.

The idea of people around the world striving to forget what happened during the war is one of the most pervasive themes of this novel. It’s stunning how many excuses we can make and believe for people so that we don’t have to face the awful truth of things that they’ve done. At times, I even found myself asking if it *would* be such a bad thing for her to escape and live a normal life in America. When the novel reveals the extent of her actions, it’s hard not to hate her and everything she did.ĪND YET, throughout the course of The Huntress, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. People who didn’t pose an immediate threat. She murdered a slew of people in cold blood during the war. Throughout this novel, my feelings toward two particular characters and their actions fluctuated wildly. The difficult part is figuring out what can be forgotten or even forgiven and what can’t.

Things they wouldn’t normally do in times of peace. Humans do some pretty egregious things during wartime. One of the most fascinating aspects of this novel is the way it presents, discusses, and ruminates on responsibility and culpability. To me, these stories are some of the most fascinating because the war brought out the best and worst in humanity. Her 2019 follow-up (and eighth novel), The Huntress, earned positive reviews in The Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews.It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, mainly stories that take place in the lead up to, during, and in the aftermath of World War II.

Quinn's 2017 historical fiction novel, The Alice Network, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She graduated from Boston University with a master's degree in classical voice. Quinn is a native of Southern California. Kate Quinn is an American writer, known for her works of historical fiction. Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Classical Voice

A Song of War by Kate Quinn